That’s what Lyon Township Library Director Holly Teasdale, the library board and the Friends of the Library believe.

Voters will decide Aug. 2.

A new library in Lyon Township would allow a greater focus on education and community collaboration. It will take an increase in taxes to make that a reality.

“We want the Lyon Township Public Library to be an active center for learning and engagement for residents of all ages,” Teasdale said.

She wants to offer more books, resources, technology and flexible space. To do that, a bigger facility and more money to operate it are needed.

The new library, if approved, would grow from 3,500 square feet to 24,000 square feet. The current library building on Milford Road is rented from Lyon Township for a nominal fee.

Plans for the present library building if the new library is approved haven’t been decided.

Lyon Township voters will have the chance to vote on a bond to build a new library and an operating millage to run it next month.

Both measures need to be approved for plans to move forward. All township households were mailed an extensive informational pamphlet, Teasdale said.

That literature contains an extensive chart, also available online, on what voters would pay in combined taxes if passed.

Plans for a new library call for a space for specialized family research and genealogy and provide the technology and technology support that residents want. It would have expanded hours and services, a children’s area and play area and program space.

There would be an adult and teen area, a Friends of the Library book store, drive up drop box, family bathrooms, vending area for coffee and snacks and more private study areas and an expanded community garden.

The proposed site for the library will be north of 12 mile on the west side of Milford Road situated in front of Abbey Park at Mill River. The property is owned by Lyon Township and would be donated by the township to the library. The estimated value of this seven-acre site is $750,000.

Teasdale said the proposed library is in line with neighboring communities, as well as its growing population. The industry standard, she added, is 1 square foot per resident.

Lyon Township had 17,714 residents in 2015. Milford, with 16,300 residents has a 23,500-square-foot library. Wixom, with a population of 15,500 has a 14,300-square-foot library and the Salem-South Lyon District Library which serves 17,900 residents is 19,201 square feet.

“We want to build a library that will serve our community’s current needs, as well as 10-20 years into the future,” Teasdale said. The cost to build the new facility will be $8.5 million, and the proposed bond will be .5535 mill for 30 years.

The proposed operating budget to run the new library on Milford Road is 1.585 – an additional 1 mill in comparison to the current operating millage of .53. The request is for a 20-year operating millage.

Combined, if the requests are approved, homeowners would see a tax increase of 1.6085 mills. A mill is a tax equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value. The taxable value, generally, is about half a home’s market value. A resident with a $300,000 home, for example, would pay about $240 in additional taxes.

Town Hall meeting

Jim Mumby with Quinn Evans Architects spoke at a June 29 town hall meeting at the library, designed to answer people’s questions on the ballot issues. He has helped to develop 50 libraries across the country.

Eight sites were considered for a new library before the Milford Road spot was selected, in part due to the visibility it would provide, he said.

“Seeing activity will encourage people to come to the building,” Mumby said.

Teasdale said that last year the library had more than 85,000 visits, and there are more than 6,000 library card holders in the township.

“More than 70 percent of the households in the township have a library card holder in it,” Teasdale said. About one-third of the residents in Lyon have a library card.

Because there isn’t enough parking space, the library turns people away from some of the more popular library programs. She said she’s experienced similar problems inside with not enough seating space. Sometimes program attendees have to sit on the floor, Teasdale said.

“When you plan a library, you try to project 20 years out,” Mumby said, referencing the continued expected growth in the community..

A timeline for work calls for construction to start in June 2017 with an opening in August 2018. There is not yet an architectural drawing for the proposed building, because library officials didn’t want to spend any more money until after the election.

Not everyone at last week’s town hall meeting was happy that, if approved, it will mean a tax increase.

Questions raised included the accuracy of the future population projections for Lyon Township, why the township needed such a large building, what will happen if the township faces another housing bubble and misgivings about the township’s no strings attached venture because it owns the property.

Library board member Jim Chuck in answer to one resident’s question, said that if the proposed library was built any smaller, the township quickly would outgrow it.

“The time is right, right now,” Chuck said. “This is a vote. This is an vestment in your community.”

Hildegard Dean, a Lyon Township resident, said that she walks across the street to the library once a week. “A library is a valuable source for anyone to enjoy books and research,” Dean said.

Heidi Beaver, another Lyon resident, said that if a library offers programs, “Why wouldn’t you have a library?”

Lyon Township grew 5.16 percent in population last year. “We have a good situation.” said Chuck. “A community library is important. It becomes a gathering place. It’s an investment.”

The next town hall meeting is 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at the library located at 27005 Milford Road.